"A heartwarming tale"

Chrissy Knight leaves home in an attempt to find her mother who abandoned her and her father Sebastian. Chrissy knows she cannot talk to her dad about her mom because he turns very sad and is incapable of responding to her matriarchal needs. Two other children run away with Chrissy seeking a long lost parent too. When Sebastian realizes his beloved child is missing, he turns to the best detective he knows, his former lover Melina Demitris. Sebastian knows he hurt Melina when he abruptly ended their relationship, but she does not understand that he left out of fear that loved ones always abandon him.

Led by Melina, Sebastian and the other parents hunt for their lost children before something bad happens to them. Meanwhile the attraction between Melina and Sebastian blossoms into love. However, he must overcome his feelings of inadequacy caused by the desertion and she must surmount her distrust of his staying power before a relationship can permanently form, The first priority must remain finding the kids.

HEAVEN ON EARTH is a powerful "Bethlehem" relationship drama that focuses on various types of love and how those feelings can tear someone's stomach apart. The action packed story line concentrates on the reactions of the characters though at times the guilt seems forced. Marilyn Pappano spins so vivid a tale centering on the ordeal of a parent when a child runs away that the audience can picture being in such a heavy situation.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 20, 2001

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Summary

As a private investigator, Melina Dimitris had seen more than her share of relationships gone bad. But that didn't keep her from believing that Mr. Right was out there. And she thought she'd found him in a tall, ruggedly handsome adventurer with a pair of magic hands. So when he dumped her without so much as an explanation, Melina hid her devastation by throwing herself into her work. Little did she expect that three runaway children from the small town of Bethlehem would bring him back into her life.

Sebastian Knight knew that if anyone could find his missing daughter, it was the brash P.I. with a passion for kung fu and tight red dresses. Their affair had been brief, white- hot, and clearly heading for something more serious. Until Sebastian ended it rather than risk getting burned again. Only now that it was too late did he realize the mistake he'd made. But with a trio of eccentric helpers watching over them—and the children—Sebastian and Melina would soon discover that in Bethlehem it was never too late for a miracle.